Comprehensive Assessment for the Government of Bangladesh

Comprehensive Assessment for the Government of Bangladesh, Directorate General of Health Services, Central Medical Stores Depot

Roger Miller Raj Gonsalkorale Danny Addison December 2010

Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems Center for Pharmaceutical Management Management Sciences for Health 4301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 400 Arlington, VA 22203 USA Phone: 703.524.6575 Fax: 703.524.7898 E-mail: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Comprehensive Assessment for the Government of Bangladesh, DGHS, CMSD

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This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the US

Agency for International Development (USAID), under the terms of cooperative agreement

number GHN-A-00-07-00002-00. The contents are the responsibility of Management

Sciences for Health and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States

Government.

About SPS

The Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS) Program strives to build capacity within

developing countries to effectively manage all aspects of pharmaceutical systems and

services. SPS focuses on improving governance in the pharmaceutical sector, strengthening

pharmaceutical management systems and financing mechanisms, containing antimicrobial

resistance, and enhancing access to and appropriate use of medicines.

Recommended Citation

This report may be reproduced if credit is given to SPS. Please use the following citation.

Addison, Danny L., Gonsalkorale, Raj and Miller, Roger E. 2010, Comprehensive

Assessment of the Government of Bangladesh, Central Medical Stores Depot of the

Directorate General of Health Services. Submitted to the US Agency for International

Development by the Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS) Program. Arlington, VA:

Management Sciences for Health.

Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems

Center for Pharmaceutical Management

Management Sciences for Health

4301 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 400

Arlington, VA 22203 USA

Telephone: 703.524.6575

Fax: 703.524.7898

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: www.msh.org/sps

http://www.msh.org/sps

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abbreviations and Acronyms ................................................................................................... iv

Acknowledgments...................................................................................................................... v

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................. vi

Background ................................................................................................................................ 1 Overall Tasks ......................................................................................................................... 1

Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 2 Survey Methods ..................................................................................................................... 2

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis ............................................... 2

Findings and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 3 Operational Planning ............................................................................................................. 3

Procurement Management ..................................................................................................... 3 Supply Chain Operations and Inventory Management .......................................................... 7 Medical Equipment Planning, Maintenance, and Management .......................................... 10

SWOT Analysis Review ...................................................................................................... 11

Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 17 Governance and Overall Management ................................................................................. 19

Procurement ......................................................................................................................... 20 Warehousing and Logistics .................................................................................................. 21

Information Technology ...................................................................................................... 22

Equipment Management ...................................................................................................... 22

Annex 1. CMSD Activities Undertaken and Achieved in the Reporting Years (2005–10)

USAID Outbrief ....................................................................................................................... 24

Annex 2. Locations Visited and Staff Contacted ..................................................................... 25

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ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

CMSD Central Medical Stores Depot

CPP consolidated procurement plan

CPTU Central Procurement Training Unit

DGFP Directorate General of Family Planning

DGHS Directorate General of Health Services

EDCL Essential Drugs Company Limited

EPI Expanded Program on Immunization

GOB Government of Bangladesh

ICT information and communications technology

LD line director

LMI Logistics Management Institute

LMIS logistics management information system

MoHFW Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

NEMEW National Electro-Medical and Engineering Workshop

OP operational plan

PIP program implementation plan

REMEW Regional Electro-Medical and Engineering Workshop

SPS Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems

SWOT strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

WHO World Health Organization

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The assessment team would like to thank the entire Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

(MoHFW) of Bangladesh and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) staff for

the opportunity to learn about their mission and the challenges facing the organization. We

hope the approach to this initial assessment and the recommendations that resulted will be

useful in informing important decisions for the program‘s future.

This assessment was greatly assisted by Dr. Zubayer Hussain, Country Director, Management

Sciences for Health (MSH)/Strengthening Pharmaceutical Systems (SPS)-Bangladesh. His

astute understanding of the Health Services Directorate proved invaluable. The team

understood both his intent and personal desire to see productive outcomes from this initial

assessment on behalf of the DGHS and public sector health care in Bangladesh. Special

thanks are extended to the entire MSH-Bangladesh staff for their exceptional efforts to

organize and facilitate all aspects of the field and office visits necessary to conduct the

assessment.

We wish to express our sincere appreciation to the SPS Program, US Agency for

International Development (USAID), and MSH for providing funding, leadership, and

technical support toward implementation of this initial assessment that may assist the DGHS

to achieve both its vision and mission, on behalf of the people of Bangladesh.

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

USAID-Bangladesh requested the assistance of the SPS Program, implemented by MSH, to

address procurement and supply chain management issues related to the DGHS. Overall, the

intended outcomes of the technical assistance to the country were—

Improved procurement management systems for health commodities

Strengthened logistics systems to increase the availability and visibility of medical

commodities throughout the public sector

Enhanced supply chain management systems, organizations, and processes throughout

MoHFW

Local capacity built to strengthen health systems for the future

USAID has been providing both public and private sector support to ensure enhanced

medical supply procurement and supply chain management processes in Bangladesh for over

20 years. The nation of Bangladesh is clearly making rapid strides to improve the availability

and delivery of health services in both the private and public sectors, and there is widening

consensus to support continued progress at all levels. However, critical procurement and

supply chain challenges confront the country, and deliberate steps need be taken now to

create a seamless, demand-based system capable of supporting national objectives today and

in the future. The assessment team found consensus within MoHFW that capacity must be

strengthened to address the most pressing medical procurement and supply chain issues

within DGHS.

Although stakeholders acknowledged that procurement is a major issue, our assessment

indicated that the procurement process itself (the process of developing, issuing, awarding,

and managing contracts) is generally transparent, compliant with accepted standards, and

well documented. However, we also found that procurements are sometimes not completed

quickly enough.

Looking into the future, we believe that testing and implementing new practices (including

new procurement practices such as framework contracting and new management practices

such as multi-year budgeting) could result in substantially improved logistics support to the

Bangladeshi public health system. Looking beyond procurement at the rest of the supply

chain, much work remains. For example, processes for the receipt, storage, issue, and

distribution of supplies and the maintenance of medical equipment are inconsistently or

incompletely managed, documented, and measured. These processes must be strengthened to

meet both current and future expectations.

Our discussion emphasizes one overarching concept—procurement, distribution, storage,

maintenance, condemnation, and disposal are all links in the end-to-end provision of medical

logistics support. Each link should be studied and managed in connection with all the others,

as the overall support system is refined and optimized.

Consistent with this end-to-end approach, our assessment highlights five imperatives that we

believe should drive the strengthening of the logistics systems underpinning Bangladesh‘s

public health services. All of the imperatives are cross-cutting as they apply to multiple

phases or functions in the procurement and logistics life cycle. The imperatives are cross-

linked in the sense that accomplishing individual imperatives requires success in one or more

of the others.

Executive Summary

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Imperative 1: Implement a demand-driven planning, procurement and supply chain

Imperative 2: Transform the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) into a strategic

procurement and supply chain management organization

Imperative 3: Strengthen and expand the operational plan development process

Imperative 4: Implement a medical equipment management and maintenance program

throughout DGHS

Imperative 5: Study and adapt commercial distribution capability for use in DGHS public

sector operations

The observations and recommendations of this initial assessment provide to the DGHS and

its various stakeholders a snap shot of some of the challenges impacting the effectiveness of

their logistics systems. Although the assessment was brief, the visits and information derived

provide significant information that can be utilized for either follow-on logistics assessments

or developing the implementation requirements associated with the recommendations.

Significant opportunities for more detailed analysis and implementation planning exist and

should be pursued to strengthen existing and future supply chain management, equipment

management, and procurement practices.

Investment in procurement, inventory, and warehouse management automated systems

should be expedited to optimize the use of timely information and produce optimal

procurement and supply chain outcomes—now and into the future. The flow and distribution

of commodities into and throughout the country should be optimized to create the maximum

supply chain efficiencies to improve the quality and availability of health services throughout

DGHS. In the last 20 years, DGHS has obviously provided tremendous improvements in the

design and delivery of health services to the people of Bangladesh. Continued progress will

depend in part on DGHS‘s ability to optimize the nation‘s medical procurement and supply

chain system.

The current project extends SPS‘s Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP)-focused

work to DGHS under MoHFW, which operates a similarly configured, but mostly separate

public health delivery network of teaching (medical college), specialty, and district hospitals

and upazila (sub-district) health complexes throughout the country. DGHS is a large,

complex health delivery system that provides roughly 50% of the health care services to

Bangladesh‘s approximately 160 million citizens. DGHS also supports a number of

infrastructure support units, such as the CMSD, with varying responsibilities to provide

acquisition, procurement, and logistics support to the system. Opportunities to consolidate

processes, facilities, and organizations and to create inter-directorate shared services to

support both DGFP and DGHS may well exist, although our assessment did not include any

analysis of those possibilities. SPS conducted its initial assessment of CMSD and other

service delivery entities throughout Bangladesh between November 28 and December 21,

2010. This report details the method, findings, and recommendations of that initial

assessment.


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1

BACKGROUND

Following the successful introduction of an online procurement tracking system in the

Directorate General of Family Planning (DGFP), which was undergoing user acceptance

testing at the time of the assessment, and a package of interventions to support the

procurement management systems of the DGFP under the Ministry of Health and Family

Welfare (MoHFW), the Ministry requested the SPS-Bangladesh program to provide support

in a number of areas. At a briefing meeting held for the Secretary, MoHFW, on October 13,

2010, and attended by USAID, the following areas were highlighted and recommended for

focus during this effort—

Assessment of the Central Medical Stores Depot (CMSD) starting in early December

2010

Gradual introduction of the procurement tracker for MoHFW to cover all procurement

entities and activities

Introduction of ‗framework contracting‘ in MoHFW to support a two-year

procurement cycle, provide less-centralized contract ordering procedures, and

simplify local procurement requirements

Introduction of e-procurement

Development of a bar coding system for easy tracking of health commodities

Acquisition strategy for open source software that can be modified or upgraded by the

Government of Bangladesh (GOB)

Provision of technical support to DGHS for development of an inventory tracking

system

This assessment was conducted in response to the specific request to be able to identify gaps

and challenges and formulate recommendations to support a package of interventions that

will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the CMSD within MoHFW in support of its

stated goals and objectives.

Overall Tasks

To conduct a comprehensive assessment of the CMSD of the Directorate General of Health

Services (DGHS) that will specifically—

Review the overall management (e.g., personnel, structure etc.), procurement,

warehousing, logistics, information technology, and governance functions to identify

strengths and weaknesses

Review the feasibility of coordination and integration of the DGHS and DGFP supply

chain operations at all levels in terms of warehouse space, transportation, etc.

Make recommendations to inform an options analysis for the development of a

comprehensive strategic plan for the strengthening of the CMSD

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METHODOLOGY

SPS and Logistics Management Institute (LMI) jointly conducted a comprehensive

assessment of the management and operations of procurement and supply chain management

entities throughout MoHFW to identify strengths and weaknesses, potentials for

enhancement, risks, and recommendations for strengthening. Initial orientation to DGHS

central, divisional, district, upazila, union, and community health operations focused on

developing an understanding of the nationwide operations and support of the CMSD as well

as their responsibilities with emphasis on procurement, warehousing, logistics, information

and communications technology, and governance and management.

Survey Methods

Our study included a range of data collection and survey methods, including site visits, office

calls, information system reviews, and document reviews of organograms, policy and

procedure guides, and other process documentation.

The assessment team carried out an extensive review of several key documents related to the

activities, organizational structure, and functions of the CMSD to include the central and

regional warehouses and upazila and regional storerooms (e.g., divisional warehouses and

district reserve stores). Documents reviewed included –

Strategic plans, previous assessment reports, standard operating procedures, policies,

and the next five-year program

Interviews with staff of CMSD, DGHS, MOHFW and other stakeholders

Interviews with commodity suppliers and service providers, e.g. CMSD‘S transporters

Field visits to health facilities, warehouses, and store operations at different levels

The team travelled extensively throughout Bangladesh and visited locations and operations at

every level from the central warehouse to the service delivery points at the union level. A

comprehensive list of persons contacted and locations visited can be found in annex 2.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats Analysis

The assessment team utilized the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT)

analysis approach to identify potential gaps or opportunities that exist within the MoHFW

supply chain in Bangladesh. The SWOT analysis is used to identify the internal and external

factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve the objective of any organization.

Table 1. SWOT Analysis

Strengths Attributes helpful to achieving the objective(s)

Weaknesses Attributes harmful to achieving the objective(s)

Opportunities External conditions that are helpful to achieving the objective(s)

Threats External conditions which could do damage to the objective(s)

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FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The following findings were developed from the opportunities identified during the

assessment. Because this initial assessment was focused on capturing an overarching view of

the logistics support for CMSD, the findings developed from the analysis of each support

level address only those systemic strengths and weaknesses which affect both current and

future operations.

Operational Planning

Operational plans (OPs) are the primary planning documents used to identify and secure

funding for DGHS needs. They are the basis for all subsequent activities in the procurement

and supply chain management processes throughout the public health system. OPs are

developed as the components of the GOB‘s Health, Nutrition, and Population Sector

Program, which in fiscal year (FY) 2009–10 allocated 111,048.71 Lakh Taka (USD 158.6M)

to the 19 OPs of the DGHS1.

OP development, which is sometimes derived from prior-year estimates rather than on actual

demographic data or population and health targets, may provide an inaccurate reflection of

real needs. Linking OP targets more closely to current health and population needs should

improve the overall accuracy of the plans. Line directors (LDs) do not typically use actual

consumption figures to plan requirements for consumable items included in their OPs.

Equipment requirements are not always linked to plans for hospital construction,

refurbishment, or other facility outfitting initiatives.

OPs serve as the genesis of both funding and procurement requirements for procurement

packages to support ongoing health care delivery operations throughout the MoHFW and

DGHS system, thus a streamlined OP process will contribute to a more responsive and

efficient procurement and supply chain management system.

Procurement Management

CMSD is one of 19 LDs within MoHFW. Its function is to undertake procurement on behalf

of the other 18 LDs, with OPs serving as the primary source of procurement requirements.

CMSD is responsible primarily for procuring goods and services that are funded by the Pool

Fund,2 which is managed by the World Bank. But CMSD also manages procurement funded

by the Government on behalf of all LDs under DGHS. On occasion, CMSD handles the

procurement of heavy equipment and large value purchases on behalf of LDs. Procurement

managed by the CMSD is usually referred to them by the respective LDs of MoHFW. All

items to be procured by CMSD and all other procuring entities must be included in the OPs

prepared by relevant LDs3.

1 ―Financing Health Care of Bangladesh‖,

http://nasmis.dghs.gov.bd/dghs_new/dmdocuments/All/Financing%20Health%20Care%20of%20Bangladesh.pdf, accessed on December.

19, 2010. 2 The Pool Fund is a component of the GOB Development Fund, and it comprises contributions from donors and loans from the

International Development Agency. 3 There are 38 OPs per the 2003–11 Health, Nutrition, and Population Sector Program of which the DGHS implements 19.

http://nasmis.dghs.gov.bd/dghs_new/dmdocuments/All/Financing%20Health%20Care%20of%20Bangladesh.pdf


4

Some line directors conduct their own procurement of their requirements, for example, the

Line Director for Essential Service Delivery undertakes their own procurement of selected

items (all GOB funded), whereas vaccines required for the Expanded Program on

Immunization (EPI) are procured through UNICEF in accordance with the agreement signed

between UNICEF and the GOB4.

CMSD is not the only DGHS procurement organization supporting the directorate‘s needs.

The Essential Drugs Company Limited (EDCL) is a fully owned GOB undertaking that

manufactures or procures the 117 drugs and medical–surgical items that form the core

formulary for the nation‘s entire public sector health care system. EDCL‘s board of directors

is staffed by senior government officials from MoHFW, and its procurement and production

activities are directed by the board. EDCL links its production planning and procurements

with the OPs of LDs under MoHFW, but not with actual customer demands or usage patterns

from field activities. Although EDCL uses the same tender processes as CMSD, it manages

its procurements independently.

Tenders do not usually specify warranty periods, maintenance periods, and in country

maintenance management capabilities of bidders with respect to equipment procurement, nor

do they typically include ancillary requirements for installation and commissioning of

equipment.

The following sequence describes the overall CMSD procurement process.

1) Five-year OPs from LDs are collated and consolidated by MoHFW into a program

implementation plan (PIP), which is reflected in the Annual Development Program,

which is approved by the high-level decision-making body (inter-ministerial

committee).

2) Once the Annual Development Program is approved, the budgets allocated to LDs are

communicated to them by MoHFW. LDs will then make necessary adjustments to

their OPs on the basis of the allocations received and get approval by the national

steering committee under MoHFW. The approved procurement component, in the

form of a line director procurement plan, an extract from the broad OP, is then

forwarded to the CMSD for processing.

3) CMSD then collates and consolidates LD procurement plans into a consolidated

procurement plan (CPP), which specifies the methods of procurement according to

thresholds specified in the Public Procurement Rules5.

4 The Annual Procurement Plan for Development Budget (2010/11) of the Line Directorate of Essential Services Delivery indicates approximately 25% of the total estimated budget of 17,566.89 (Taka Lakh) to be procured by the line directorate, 35% to be procured

through CMSD, and the balance 40% (vaccines) to be procured through UNICEF. 5 Public Procurement Rules of the Government of Bangladesh, 2008.

Findings and Discussion

5

4) The CPP identifies items that will be procured with Pool Funds and those that will be

procured with GOB funds, usually the GOB component of the Development Fund.

The CPP is then sent to MoHFW for approval and the Pool Fund component is

forwarded to the World Bank for a No Objection.6

5) Once the CPP is approved by MoHFW and the World Bank, CMSD allocates

procurement packages to its five desk officers, who are responsible for processing and

monitoring the procurement process until letters of credit are opened and the total

shipment is received in the country.

Our initial review of the tender process indicates that, although the process is compliant with

accepted standards for openness, fairness, and legal requirements, it is also complex and

unresponsive. On the average, each desk officer manages 12–15 procurement packages. It is

understood that the entire procurement process is quite complex and can take as long as 15–

20 months to complete. Our team did not have an opportunity to perform an end-to-end

analysis of the complete procurement process or its outcomes, but such an analysis is clearly

needed, because indications are that the system is not performing to expectations.

For example, CMSD has sometimes been unable to open letters of credit for some

procurement packages. The performance achievement rate had declined from 96% in 2005/6

to 60% in 2009/10. The lowest achievement rate was 35% in 2008/9. Annex 1 provides

details on procurement packages processed during the last five years. The causes of this

decline in performance were attributed to delays in receiving LD procurement plans that

result in CMSD‘s inability to prepare their CPPs on time and delays in receiving approval for

the CPP from MoHFW and No Objection from the World Bank.

When CMSD receives PPs from the LDs, it adds procurement details to the CPPs and forwards

them to MoHFW for approval prior to initiating an actual procurement. It was noted that the

2008/9 CPP was sent to MoHFW in October and approval was received in February the

following year. CMSD indicated that the goal is for LDs to submit their plans to CMSD by the

end of June every year; in reality, they often receive input from the LDs between August and

October and are therefore unable to submit the modified CPP to MoHFW until after September,

every year. The result is that some procurements can‘t be formally initiated until as much as

three-quarters of the fiscal year in which they must be completed has already passed.

CMSD staff expressed the opinion that because accounting for procurements funded by the

Pool Fund was over a five-year period, their inability to open letters of credit by June 30 did

not result in a ―loss‖ of funds (unlike GOB funded procurement), and that funds got

transferred to the following financial year. However, discussions with some LDs and their

staff indicated a contrary view. Some LDs claimed that they did not lose funds unless their

OPs were revised by adding the value of carry over packages to the following financial year

and the revised OPs were approved. Others still maintained that the funds were lost. The fact

that key stakeholders do not clearly understand the process and the business rules that govern

it demonstrates a need for further clarification and training. Coordination among the

stakeholder organizations to define a better integrated end-to-end flow of procurement

processes is needed to eliminate this confusion and optimize the operational planning and

procurement processes.

6 CMSD indicated that they experienced delays in receiving approval for the CPP from MoHFW and a No Objection from the World Bank,

which ultimately results in delays in processing procurement packages. We also found that there was some appreciable level of confusion

among managers about the process and requirements for approval of the CPP.


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Funding levels initially projected by LDs are, in some cases, significantly adjusted as OPs

work their way through the review, approval, and procurement processes. However, these

adjustments are not always communicated back to the LDs in a timely manner. As a

consequence, plans are incompletely executed and subsequent planning may be similarly

flawed. Active procurement packages may be delayed or cancelled because of this

misalignment.

These issues demonstrate a broader point: the entire end-to-end operational planning and

procurement process needs to be improved and streamlined. An improved process should also

provide feedback mechanisms to ensure that in-process adjustments and changes are clearly

communicated to all stakeholders. The process should include the OP process managed by

LDs, the planning processes that produce changes to funding allocations and actual release of

funds, the transfer of Pool Fund packages from one financial year to another, and the

approval process for the CPPs.

All procurement related activity at CMSD is manual—no aspect of procurement is

automated. CMSD also has an informal follow up system, and no established formal,

structured procedure to communicate with customers before, during, or after various key

steps in the procurement process. CMSD staff stated that they would welcome technical

assistance in this area and would very much appreciate the procurement tracking system

being implemented at DGFP being introduced at CMSD. CMSD has contracted (through a

tender process) a software development company7 to support procurement and material-

receiving automation and to also provide computer hardware, software maintenance, and

troubleshooting support. As of our December 2010 assessment, however, the contract had

produced no system functionality at CMSD except a single application to support a limited

part of the receiving process. Within the broader ambit of e-Procurement, Bangladesh‘s

Central Procurement Training Unit (CPTU) intends to introduce e-Tendering in 2011 and

four government agencies (not including MoHFW)8 have been selected to undertake a pilot

project commencing in January 2011.

There is no formal conflict of interest policy, although all Technical Evaluation Committee

and Technical Subcommittee members were expected to sign a declaration of impartiality

during bid evaluation.

CMSD indicated that they would like to have a procurement procedures manual on the same

lines as the draft DGFP procurement procedures manual.

CMSD staff has had procurement training conducted by CPTU but they would like to have

refresher training locally and, if possible, internationally so they could be exposed to

emerging ―best practices‖ from around the world. They also indicated that training more

specific to the procurement activity they were engaged in would be useful to them. Other

officials engaged in the procurement process such as members of the Technical Evaluation

Committees and Technical Subcommittees have not received any formal training or exposure

to procurement principles and management.

7 Software Development and Yearly Maintenance and Hardware Repair and Yearly Maintenance contract between CMSD and M/s Siddique

Softtech Ltd. signed on 2/11/2010, although the agreement period is stated as July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011, with an optional extension for an unspecified period subject to a 5% yearly increase. Tender reference CMSD/Salve/Repair/4903 dated 09/06/2010. 8 Roads and Highways Department, Water Development Board, Rural Electrification Board, and Local Government and Engineering

Department


7

CMSD currently has a limited supplier-enlistment process and has so far enlisted only

pharmaceutical suppliers9. CMSD needs to do more research on quality suppliers, their

products, prices, and services and develop long-term contracting relationships with these

suppliers. CMSD is and should be a professional procurement outfit, and not simply a middle

agency that processes requests sent to them by their customers.

Supply Chain Operations and Inventory Management

Supply chain operations within DGHS involve a mix of ―push‖ activities managed centrally

by either EDCL or CMSD and ―pull‖ activities based on customer demands. Supply

operations are based on a tiered system in which supply and pharmaceutical consumers (e.g.,

hospitals and health centers) are supported by locally maintained stores that are replenished

either from stores at the next higher level or directly from central sources.

The push/pull hybrid system creates uncertainty throughout the supply system, because

supply quantities indented by customers or shipped by supporting activities may or may not

reflect actual usage or demand forecasts. Consuming organizations have limited sourcing

options, because MoHFW policy requires that most of them expend at least 70% of their

medical–surgical requisite supply budget on EDCL-furnished products and no more than 5%

on local sources. Except for the very-limited CMSD receiving application mentioned

previously, there is no supply chain automation at any level, and storekeepers and other

supply management staff use a variety of forms and record-keeping methods to receive,

account for, and issue supplies.

With regard to products procured, it could not be verified whether there was a routine pre-

shipment quality assurance program. CMSD noted that samples were drawn from batches of

pharmaceuticals received and sent to the Drug Testing Laboratory (except in emergency

situations). Receipts are not finalized and issues are not made until test reports are received.

Shipment planning is rarely communicated to the receiving activity, and demand forecasting

is sporadic and infrequently used in either the ordering or shipping process. Discussions at

district and upazila levels have indicated that they receive drug supplies from CMSD that

they had not indented and generally some of these supplies expired before they could be used.

Expiring or expired items included drugs from commercial sources as well as EDCL10

. A

general observation in the limited number of sites visited was that drugs and other supplies

are frequently ―pushed‖ to customers (hospitals and health facilities) based on stocks

available at higher levels in the system rather than ―pulled‖ based on actual customer

demands.

Supply chain performance metrics are generally not defined, monitored, or used. Although

security of local stores is generally good, environmental controls, warehouse cleanliness, and

overall care of supplies in storage is poor. The assessment team found no use of commercial

transportation or logistics support at any of the locations visited, despite the fact that

commercial infrastructure in widely available throughout Bangladesh. The ability of

consuming organizations to dispose of excess, expired, or unserviceable supplies is extremely

limited, and the supply condemnation process was a major complaint of storekeepers and

supply managers at all levels. Excess supplies are a major contributor to the frequent

9 CMSD stated that this year, there are 40 enlisted suppliers for pharmaceuticals, an increase from the 30 they previously had.

10 See EDCL discussion under ―Procurement Practices‖.


8

overcrowding of storage facilities and make efficient movement and operation in those

facilities difficult or impossible at some locations.

In contrast to the much more centralized and structured processes used to procure medical

products, the supply chain operations to distribute and store supplies are not standardized or

conducted uniformly, are inconsistently understood by storekeepers and their customers, and

are, for the most part, undocumented beyond the local level. Some stores managers have

documented local practices and procedures, and local paper records of receipts and issues are

generally well maintained and available. Beyond the local level, there is no documentation of

overall supply chain operations or procedures, no supply chain policies, and no performance

measurements or reports. Not surprisingly, hospital directors, civil surgeons, and other

customers we interviewed during our field visits placed little faith in the medical supply chain

beyond the confines of the local stores in their own organizations.

Specific observations from our assessment include the following—

Extensive opportunities exist for automation of the supply chain throughout DGHS

Inconsistent use of item numbers or other unique identifiers; different item numbers

are used for the same item at each level of the supply chain; for example—

o Descriptions, usually narrative in form, are used to identify items when CMSD

initiates a procurement package

o Item numbers are created for items when they are received and placed in short- or

long-term storage in CMSD

o Different item numbers are created locally for those same items when they are

received by district, medical college, and specialty hospitals and district reserve

stores

o Finally, upazila storekeepers and other local stores managers assign their own

locally generated numbers when they receive an item

Inconsistency in the way package sizes, quantities, and units of measure are recorded,

sometimes within the same organization

Stock record ledgers and other stores documentation is not standardized across the

supply chain, and local formats and record keeping methods are pervasive

Supply chain planning, forecasting, pipeline management procedures, and information

are not in use, and, as a result, the supply chain does not function as a synchronized,

coordinated system

Because of these inconsistencies, managers at all levels are unable to perform any

formal inventory accounting or inventory valuation, and DGHS, as a whole, has no

system-wide visibility of available stores and stores status


9

Reagents and other consumable support items are in short supply at many locations,

and lack of consumable support products means that x-rays, laboratory analyzers, and

other equipment items are idled, sometimes for months at a time

In every facility we visited, treatment areas and storage facilities are often crowded

with significant amounts of aged, salvaged, excess, and unusable equipment;

condemnation procedures are cumbersome, highly centralized, and unresponsive; one

storekeeper told us that he recalled only one successful condemnation action in 26

years of service

The current procurement and logistics system is only partly demand driven; for

example, demand quantities submitted as quarterly indents by upazila health complex

storekeepers frequently don‘t match the quantities received, and overages and

shortages are common; this is a pervasive issue at all levels in the system

Quantities shipped by both CMSD and EDCL sometimes varied from the demand

quantities reflected in OPs prepared by LDs and from demand quantities reflected in

indents (orders) submitted by hospital directors and managers; pharmaceuticals sent

from hospital storekeepers to hospital pharmacies are often different from the items in

current clinical use; this issue produces many imbalances, from budget problems to

inadequate storage conditions to frequent stock-outs at many levels

Despite the frequency of stock-outs, hospital directors, civil surgeons, and others

appeared to have very limited authority to close supply chain gaps through local

purchasing; local purchase authority is usually limited to only 5% of local medical–

surgical requisite budget amounts, even when critically needed supplies are not

available from central sources

As CMSD and other parts of the health care supply chain modernize and automate

their operation, staff at all levels will need substantial training to understand and

manage responsive, effective procurement and supply chain operations

Aging stores facilities require significant repairs and renovations; however,

improvements in the condemnation process could free up significant amounts of

space, so the need for new construction or expansion facilities may be reviewed

Storage furnishings (pallets, pallet racks, storage racks, conveyors, and belts) are

almost universally absent at all levels

Material handling equipment is either in disrepair or not available

Stores facilities do not use pantographs, physical locator systems, or other space

planning methods

As with other supply chain activities, storekeeping policies and procedures are

incompletely implemented because of a lack of written guidelines


10

Business processes and supply chain operations do not reflect an end-to-end life-cycle

focus to link procurement, demand forecasting, ordering, distribution, storage, and

disposal activities

The current organization (and, in fact, the organization‘s name) reflects CMSD‘s prior

role as a storage depot; the staff includes storekeepers, stock record clerks, and others

whose role is to care for supplies stored at the CMSD; its procurement staff of only

five desk officers are responsible for writing, tendering, awarding, and administering

nearly 100 contracts annually; this is very limited for an organization performing

complex medical acquisition; over time, staff in the storage-focused positions can be

retrained and reorganized to provide additional procurement-focused positions

Medical Equipment Planning, Maintenance, and Management

The original tasking for this assessment did not include a separate examination of biomedical

maintenance support to the DGHS, but the team was asked by Ministry officials to review it

as an additional area of focus. To enable this, we included field maintenance workshops and

the National Electro-Medical and Engineering Workshop (NEMEW) in Dhaka in our

schedule and collected medical equipment maintenance observations from LDs, Ministry

officials, and others during our office and site visits.

Regarding maintenance planning during the OP development process, CMSD does

preliminary work on behalf of the Specification Development Committee of which the chair

is the Additional Director General, DGHS, and the Member Secretary is the Director of

CMSD. Representatives from NEMEW and the Line Directorate for Hospital Services

Management are also members.

Specification development for medical equipment is a technical and complex process that

requires knowledge that usually resides with highly trained, functional experts. Although

desk officers and non-technical personnel should be coordinating specification requirements,

the development of these specifications should be accomplished by specialized technical

personnel drawn from user departments. Desk officers and non-technical personnel may act

as a resource for these activities. However, CMSD, as a professional procurement agency,

has a role in developing tools, such as a database of generic, user-defined specifications for

regularly used consumables and equipment so that repetitive processes may be avoided or

minimized.

Equipment procurement and maintenance appeared uncoordinated, and there was no clear

evidence of a formal process to involve the user. Discussions with NEMEW leadership

confirmed that they were not involved in the procurement, sustainment planning, and life-

cycle planning processes for equipment.

Biomedical engineers are not associated with the equipment procurement process—they are

not involved in the development of specifications and guidelines for ―life-cycle costing‖ (in

which the cost of equipment is considered in the wider context of warranty periods,

maintenance periods, and the capacity of bidders to commission and maintain equipment).


11

NEMEW is MoHFW‘s national-level biomedical equipment sustainment organization, but it

has insufficient resources and technical expertise to perform its mission. NEMEW has an

annual budget of only 101 lakh taka (USD .16M), a technical staff of 60 (with approximately

25 vacancies), no biomedical engineers or biomedical equipment technicians, and a broad

lack of technical manuals, tools, and diagnostic equipment.

Throughout our interviews and site surveys, there was little evidence of a comprehensive

biomedical equipment management and maintenance program once manufacturer warranties

expire. Current processes do not include a life-cycle equipment management planning

process to enable sustainment of equipment throughout its usable life.

Biomedical equipment maintenance issues are meticulously documented in a 2008 World

Bank report to the GOB11

, but we found few indications that the report‘s major life cycle

management recommendations (referred to in the report as ―planning, supply, and ownership

management‖) have been implemented at any level. The report‘s key finding—that only 50%

of the medical equipment surveyed is effectively used at its final destination—was

anecdotally supported in our interviews and site visits.

At the hospitals and other field locations we visited, we found—

Equipment testing, preventive maintenance, unscheduled repair, and calibration are

not performed

Most locations have no repair parts on hand; where repair parts are available, they are

not demand-supported or applicable to the equipment actually in use

Consumable supplies (x-ray film, lab reagents, and fuel for generators) are generally

not budgeted for and often unavailable

Tools and diagnostic equipment are in short supply

Maintenance policies and procedures are not available

SWOT Analysis Review

In the table below is a comprehensive SWOT analysis for each operational level visited. Each

of the primary focus areas were further analyzed by operational categories that were either

previously provided or identified during the visits as essential or impacting the operations.

11

Bangladesh Medical Equipment Survey,

http://www.hnpinfobangladesh.com/documentdetail.aspx?di_key=di_183, accessed December 18, 2010.

http://www.hnpinfobangladesh.com/documentdetail.aspx?di_key=di_183


12


13

Table 2. SWOT Analysis Review

Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

Procurement

People Long-tenured, experienced staff

Desk officers unfamiliar with framework contracting and other best practices

Operational planning, procurement, and supply chain processes not fully understood by staff and leaders at all levels

CMSD does not have enough trained desk officers to handle the projected volume demands

Retrain staff to enable transformational change

Best practices continue to evolve more rapidly than GOB processes can accommodate

Systems Potential availability of usable/adaptable systems in DGFP

Extremely limited automation of procurement functions

Adapt and implement modern systems to support DGHS procurement

Leverage DGFP capability

Institutional resistance to change and potential organizational consolidation (DGHS and DGFP)

Processes Meticulously followed tendering and other procurement processes at all levels

Inflexibility Transformational change to implement best procurement practices across DGHS

Organizational resistance and policy impediments


14


Warehousing

People Sincere, committed storekeepers; adequate staffing

Lack of training and staff development in—

Transportation planning

Storekeeping and warehousing

Inventory accounting and control

Quality control practices

Leverage DGFP systems to train DGHS staff

Lack of comprehensive, standard training and staff development causes fragmented, unsynchronized warehouse management activities

Systems Well defined, locally developed manual systems

No automation for any warehousing functions Leverage DGFP systems to automate warehousing

DGFP systems are themselves relatively new and unproven

Processes Locally developed, manual processes are well understood by local staff

No standard, nationwide warehousing processes or guidelines

Select ―best of breed‖ local practices to implement nationally

Resistance to nationwide adoption of local processes and procedures

Facilities Extensive storage space at all operating locations

Substantial unfunded backlog of facility maintenance requirements

Relatively inexpensive to repair aging facilities vs. construction of new ones

Material spoilage, shrinkage, and compromise of material quality

Logistics

Biomedical

maintenance

None Biomedical maintenance concepts, processes, records, and resources are lacking

Improved clinical outcomes through establishment of a system-wide biomedical equipment maintenance capability

Inoperable or unreliable equipment compromises the quality of clinical diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes

Distribution/

transportation

Extensive road and transport network

Inadequate DGHS transportation capacity Leverage DGFP transport capacity and explore commercial distribution options

Inadequate transport capacity can result in stock-outs and compromised product quality


15


Information and communications technology (ICT)

People Eager, receptive workforce willing to use ICT tools

Workforce is largely untrained in use of ICT; very limited ICT capability available today

Leverage DGFP training programs

Develop nationwide DGHS-specific training program

ICT training and workforce development may be unsuitable or insufficient to meet DGHS needs

Systems Very limited legacy products to sustain and modernize

Systems are unproven and untested for use by DGHS

Leverage DGFP ICT tools to support warehousing, inventory management, and procurement

DGFP tools may fail to support DGHS procurement and supply chain functions

Processes Clearly defined, local business processes are good candidates for automation

Lack of standard, nationwide ICT requirement definition, development, and sustainment processes

Develop standard, nationally applied ICT acquisition and management processes

ICT management processes may fail to keep up with technology and fail to meet future DGHS needs

Governance and management

People DGHS leadership clearly committed to improved governance and management

DGHS staff lacks experience with enterprise-level management of an integrated supply chain

Create and proliferate clear, defined roles and relationships for enterprise-level management of integrated supply chain

DGHS staff may reject or be unable to implement enterprise-level supply chain processes

Systems Little to no legacy infra-structure to maintain and modernize

End-to-end supply chain performance management systems are almost entirely absent

Design and develop a new performance management system for end-to-end supply chain management and control

Centrally designed management systems may be unsuited or unacceptable for local management functions

Processes Clear commitment of leadership to the design and development of supply chain governance and management processes

Lack of policies and procedures for end-to-end supply chain management across the entire DGHS structure

Create and use strong, transparent end-to-end supply chain governance and management processes to reduce costs, improve quality, and improve responsiveness

DGHS may fail to implement standard, universal supply chain management processes, thus crippling or impeding the DGHS supply system


16

17

RECOMMENDATIONS

Consistent with this life cycle management approach, our strategic recommendations are

grouped into five overarching, imperative points that should be quickly initiated to strengthen

the supply chain management systems underpinning the Bangladeshi public health services.

The recommendations below are aligned to these imperatives.

The staff of DGHS are called upon to perform their jobs against a backdrop of scarce

financial and human resources, complex government processes and regulations, inadequate

and out-of-date facilities and equipment, inadequate information system support, and an

enormous backlog of health care needs. Numerous examples of challenges are found at every

level, from aged, unusable stocks in upazila stores to obsolete equipment in hospitals to

imbalances between quantities requested and quantities actually shipped.

This assessment included a limited examination of the private sector, but it is important to

highlight that there is a contrast between the apparent ineffectiveness of the public health

services procurement and emerging private sector capacity.

Every major town has functioning, well-stocked private pharmacies, and numerous

Bangladeshi and multi-national pharmacy and medical supply manufacturers stock those

pharmacies via private distribution network capable of reaching the entire country quickly

and effectively. Private sector hospitals in the major cities (for example, United Healthcare

Ltd., Square Hospital, and Apollo Hospitals of Dhaka and Chittagong Metropolitan Hospital)

provide comprehensive, accredited health services to a large sector of the population. These

hospitals, too, are supplied by private sector suppliers capable of distributing hundreds or

thousands of up-to-date products in a timely and efficient way.

Studying and adapting commercial capability is important, and it is the view of the

assessment team that the imperatives mentioned here need to take account of private sector

efficiencies and experiences when DGHS revitalizes its supply chain management process.

These imperatives could also be strengthened through the development of public–private

relationships that enable DGHS to take advantage of private sector capacity and efficiencies.

Leveraging private sector capacity and efficiency will be a complex process and will depend

on many other factors. External support from non-government entities carries the most risk,

but it also has the greatest potential to fundamentally transform the DGHS supply chain.

Although accomplishing the first four imperatives is necessary in the short- and medium-

terms to address immediate needs across DGHS, adapting commercial capability to support

DGHS is a long-term imperative that may take several years to complete. However, several

of the short- and medium-term activities will build the foundation for successful adaptation of

commercial capability to support DGHS needs.


18

Imperative 1: Implement a demand-driven planning, procurement, and supply chain.

Effective procurement and logistics life cycle management begins with a clear picture of

customer (end user) requirements. Customer demands should drive the entire procurement

and logistics cycle.12

A demand-driven planning, procurement, and supply chain will also

provide greater accountability at all levels, because it will accurately reflect actual usage and

supply requirements rather than inaccurate estimates of requirements. Greater accountability

can eventually be leveraged to enable increased local flexibility to expend resources. Hospital

directors, civil surgeons, and other health workers should be more directly involved in the

development of forecasts and resource requirements for the OPs that support them.

Imperative 2: Transform the CMSD into a strategic procurement and supply chain

management organization.

The current role of CMSD should change if an efficiency-based, strategically-focused

procurement and supply chain management organization is to replace the current one. Central

to a new CMSD should be the gradual divesting of its warehousing and distribution role, and

its redevelopment as a strategic procurement and supply chain management entity. This new

role would position CMSD to better support its customers by creating new procurement

approaches (framework contracts, for example), new supply chain management tools, such as

the national medical products catalog, and new automation and information tools. Broader

changes in the way MoHFW operates, such as the implementation of multi-year budgeting

and procurement processes, will also help ensure CMSD‘s successful transformation.

Imperative 3: Strengthen and expand the OP development process.

The operational planning process appeared inefficient and confusing. The linkages to

procurement planning commence with OPs, and naturally, inefficiencies in this process flow

on to procurement planning and thereafter to actual procurement activities.

Imperative 4: Implement a medical equipment management and maintenance program

throughout DGHS.

Substantial opportunities exist for addressing the challenges found in the medical equipment

management and maintenance program. The importance of a well functioning and well managed

medical equipment procurement and maintenance program cannot be overemphasized.

Imperative 5: Study and adapt commercial distribution capability for use in DGHS

public sector operations.

Potential outsourcing and private sector alternatives should be included in DGHS operations.

Public–private partnerships could enable improvements across all of the four preceding

imperatives. In this context, MoHFW should study and adapt private sector warehouse,

transport, distribution, and supply chain management capacity as a potential long-term

partner to the public health system.

12

Vaccines and immunizations procured through the EPI, an OP managed by the LD, Essential Service

Delivery, DGHS, provide a notable exception to this rule. Because vaccine procurement and distribution is

prophylactic rather than therapeutic, demand is based on centrally managed forecasts of population health and

disease incidence rather than locally generated demands. Thus, for EPI, procurement and distribution should be

based on OP quantities developed by the Essential Service Delivery LD.

Recommendations

19

Specific Recommendations

Specific recommendations were developed based on the analysis of observations made during

key informant interviews and operational walk-through of each facility visited. These

recommendations are organized into three levels. Implementation of each of these may

require varying degrees of expert and financial support from DGHS and external agencies.

Short term: Have the most immediate impact and should be initiated quickly

Medium term: Involve issues that have direct operational impact but will require more

time and further study prior to implementation, and therefore should be pursued as

medium-term recommendations

Long term: Considered the most difficult, would impact the program strategically, and

are more long term

Governance and Overall Management

1. Develop standard supply chain operational guidelines for use in divisional, district, and

upazila storage and distribution operations. (Short)

The guidelines should cover demand forecasting and supply planning, indent/ordering

procedures, warehouse and space management practices, inventory accounting and

management, quality control and surveillance procedures, safety and security practices,

and supply lifecycle management, including condemnation and disposal practices at the

end of the supply life cycle.

2. Establish a knowledge transfer forum for DGHS, DGFP, other MoHFW directorates,

commercial suppliers and distributors, and other stakeholders at the operational level to

promote the exchange of best practices. (Short)

Forum meetings would be publicly advertised, open to all interested parties, and chaired

by a government official. Minutes or proceedings would be publicly available and all

forum recommendations would be advisory in nature. The forum would provide a way for

CMSD, its customers, and its suppliers to communicate openly and regularly about

industry and government practices, capabilities, and requirements.

3. Study and report on potential for consolidating procurement and supply chain

management activities and organizations across DGFP and DGHS. (Short)

There is no technical reason why separate procurement and supply chain organizations,

processes, and systems are required to support the DGFP and DGHS missions. To the

extent possible, MoHFW should provide funding, executive direction, and other

incentives to motivate the two organizations to share or consolidate their current separate

activities. For example, information systems and enhanced technology, such as e-

Procurement, can be leveraged across both organizations to provide quick wins at low

cost. Ultimately, consolidation should enable widespread sharing of transportation,

storage and distribution infrastructure, and information technology, and yet preserve the

separate accountability of each organization to its respective stakeholders.


20

4. Assess staffing, training requirements and capacity building needs. (Medium)

5. Develop a strategic plan for institutional and personnel capacity building supply chain

management in the MOHFW. (Medium)

Procurement

1. Conduct a stakeholder workshop for senior officials of MoHFW and representatives from

the Ministry of Finance, the World Bank, and donors to clarify the processes for

operational and consolidated procurement planning. (Short)

2. Introduce procurement management tools and automated systems, including standard

procedure guides and defined processes to provide a clear understanding and definition of

roles and responsibilities for all participants of the overall process. (Short)

3. Expand the supplier base at CMSD through an expanded enlistment or registration

process. (Short)

4. Establish and administer framework contracts. These contracts will establish basic item

pricing and allow customers to place purchase orders with enlisted suppliers on an as-

needed basis. (Short)

5. Establish a system to monitor supplier performance, analyze demand and usage patterns,

and help customers make better use of contracts, suppliers, and supplies. (Short)

6. Develop a CMSD-specific procurement guidelines document for use by CMSD staff.

(Short)

Staff of CMSD indicated their interest in the Procurement Manual developed for DGFP

and would like to have a similar manual for their use.

7. Conduct training in procurement management for CMSD staff. (Short)

CMSD staff indicated that although some training had been provided by the CPTU, that

training was in generic procurement management. They indicated their desire to have

procurement training specific to DGHS and CMSD within the context of general

procurement management.

8. Pursue the introduction of e-Procurement, such as e-Tendering, and explore the feasibility

of automating CMSD‘s transactions to the maximum possible degree. (Medium)

9. Develop a strategic plan to re-engineer CMSD to function as a specialized procurement

agency that has a closer engagement with its customers and an expanded, quality supplier

base to provide an efficient, cost effective, and professional service to its customers.

(Medium)

A re-engineered CMSD should be provided its own budget and financial resources, rather

than having to request funding prior to procuring any item. In this new role, CMSD

should monitor procurements by other entities in MoHFW as well as provide the entities

with mentoring and guidance.

Recommendations

21

10. Conduct a review of drug procurement from EDCL with a goal of understanding and

making recommendations for improving the service level of EDCL to MOHFW.

(Medium)

Facilities at all levels are required to spend 70% of their drug procurement budgets on

items manufactured by EDCL. EDCL‘s production schedule is driven by OPs rather than

customer demands. It is suggested that CMSD facilitate a review of the contractual

relationship between the MOHFW and EDCL in collaboration with LDs, tertiary and

specialized hospitals, and district health authorities to better understand current processes

and agree on a mutually acceptable methodology for future procurement and distribution

of drugs manufactured by EDCL.

Warehousing and Logistics

1. Conduct an in-depth review of the distribution process, which often ―pushes‖ essential

drugs to hospitals and clinics rather than shipping products when and as required (i.e.,

based on customer demands) and propose recommendations for enhancement. (Short)

2. Develop a national supply catalog for all pharmaceuticals, medical–surgical supplies, and

other consumable products managed by the CMSD. (Short)

This simple but vital improvement will enable the synchronization of OPs, contracts,

demands (indents), distribution activities, storage, and supply chain analysis and

planning.

3. Develop and implement a formal system of inventory valuation and accounting, including

systematic item identification, a physical locator system, and cyclic inventory and

location audits for items that CMSD will continue to store and distribute. (Short)

If CMSD continues to store supplies, its physical plant (warehouses and other storage

facilities) will require substantial modernization and upgrades to provide suitable

environmental, surveillance, safety, and security conditions for the medical supplies in its

custody.

4. Implement standard supply chain forms/formats and data across the DGHS. (Short)

5. DGHS should develop a replacement strategy for expired stock, forecasts of

requirements, and an effective distribution capability for Division Stores, which now has

a disaster response mission and is no longer part of the routine flow of supplies. (Short)

6. Develop and implement revised DGHS condemnation processes to more quickly and

effectively dispose of excess materials. The revised processes should address and mitigate

the reasons why so much excess has accumulated at all levels under the current

condemnation process. (Short)

7. Develop a training program on storekeeping procedures for central, divisional, and

district warehouse staffs and upazila store keepers. (Short)

8. Develop a strategic plan for capital investments and improvements for the central,

divisional, district, and upazila warehouses. (Medium)


22

Such a strategic plan should consider warehouse designs, master locations, and

procurement and installation of storage equipment to maximize material flow and use of

vertical space. The plan should provide options for repair or lease/buy of essential pallet

jacks, forklifts, trolleys, and ladders to move warehouse stock and options for acquiring

and distributing pallets, pallet racks, shelving, and other storage aids to optimize storage

space, stores condition, safety, and inventory accounting.

9. Develop and support implementation of a strategic distribution plan to optimize and

increase delivery frequency (monthly rather than quarterly indents, incorporation of

commercial distribution and transportation). (Medium)

10. Secure funding for a long-term GOB store construction and renovation program at district

and upazila levels to replace existing structures and create capacity for the future. (Long)

11. Create commercial partnerships and distribution services contracts to expedite

development of a commercial medical product distribution capability to support DGHS

and DGFP activities nationwide. (Long)

Information Technology

1. Implement a web-based procurement tracker to provide the ability to view the progress of

procurement packages and to track delivery of procured items. (Short)

2. Develop a CMSD website to inform the public on its activities and achievements and to

provide information about tender opportunities and procurement results. (Short)

The website could also be used by other procurement entities to also publish their tenders,

and could serve as the online ―portal‖ for the proposed procurement tracker application,

the CMSD-maintained national medical products catalogue, and the specification

database.

3. Conduct a study of the current situation in information, communication, and technology.

Options for improvement to be explored include—

a. The development of an integrated report-generation functionality and use of a

logistics management information system (LMIS) for the transmission, analysis,

and presentation of supply chain and inventory status information. (Medium)

b. Implementation of an integrated communications and data transfer framework

based on available technology, such as the Internet and mobile phones, to

facilitate ordering, supply chain coordination, distribution, and pipeline reporting.

(Medium)

Equipment Management

1. Appoint a MoHFW National Medical and Surgical Equipment Committee that includes

user representatives (co-opted when needed, depending on the equipment being

procured); biomedical engineers should be retained as consultants to provide technical

advice and support. (Short)

Recommendations

23

2. Revitalize equipment procurement and maintenance management through life-cycle

planning. This may include provisions for—

a. Extended warranty services, user training, and other original equipment

manufacturer-furnished services (Medium)

b. Scheduled and unscheduled maintenance services, including equipment

calibration and testing, throughout the expected usable life of each item (Medium)

c. Provision of required spare parts for each equipment (Medium)

3. Ensure the provision of consumable items (such as reagents for laboratory equipment,

films and developer for analog x-ray equipment, and fuel for backup generators) needed

to operate each equipment item on a regular basis. (Medium)

4. Ensure that specialized tools and TMDE needed to support biomedical equipment are

provided. (Medium)

5. Reorganize and reinvigorate NEMEW. (Medium)

The current status and role of NEMEW, its resource availability, and future requirements

will need to be studied prior to reorganization.

6. Conduct a thorough review of regional electro-medical equipment maintenance efforts.

(Medium)

Regional and hospital-level biomedical maintenance requirements are supported by

Regional Electro-Medical and Engineering Workshops (REMEWs). The 16 REMEWs in

the country are the field activities charged with in-house maintenance of biomedical

equipment at selected specialty and medical college hospitals. They face the same

challenges detailed above for NEMEW and are equally unable to perform their equipment

support mission. The current status and role of REMEWs, their resource availability, and

future requirements will need to be studied prior to reorganization.

7. Conduct a baseline survey of biomedical equipment in use throughout the DGHS.

(Medium)

Without knowing the numbers, types, and current condition of biomedical equipment used

in hospitals and clinics across the country, it will be difficult or impossible to plan for its

sustainment. The World Bank study referenced above, although thorough and revealing,

surveyed only 50 sites in 3 of the country‘s 6 divisions. This survey should collect data on

item description/name, original equipment manufacturer, supplier, model number, serial

number, and condition (serviceable, unserviceable but repairable, unserviceable and non-

repairable, and salvageable) for each equipment item at each location.

24

ANNEX 1. CMSD ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN AND ACHIEVED IN THE REPORTING YEARS (2005–10) USAID OUTBRIEF

Year Activitiesa

Target Implementation

Achievement (%)

Number of packages

b

Estimated cost

Number of

packages

Contract figure

2005–2006 8 61 17950.00 59 11463.17 96

2006–2007 11 68 16217.02 66 11409.67 97

2007–2008 13 107 37158.07 85 24640.19 80

2008–2009 14 98 53590.84 34 12318.67 35

2009–2010 10 122 47747.94 70 21311.69 57

2010–2011 9 56 21914.07 27 5309.00 48

Total 512 194577.94 341 86452.39 Source: In-Charge-Monitoring Desk, CMSD aNumber of LDs from whom requirements for procurement of medical equipment were received.

bIt was explained by CMSD that the number of packages noted under column ―target‖ for any year was the

number carried forward from the previous year plus the number of packages received from LDs that year. For example, in 2006–2007, the number of packages (68) was 2 packages carried forward from 2005–2006 plus 66 received that year.

25

ANNEX 2. LOCATIONS VISITED AND STAFF CONTACTED

November 28 at MSH

Name Designation

Dr. Zubayer Hussain Country Director

Md. Abdullah Senior Program Associate, Logistics SPS

Program

Abdullah Iman Khan Program Associate, SPS

November 29 at CMSD

Name Designation

Brigadier General MD. Abdur Rab Miah Director (CMSD)

Dr. MD Rezaul Karim Deputy Director (CMSD)

December 1 at DGHS, Dhaka

Name Designation

Prof. Dr. Abul Kalam Azad Director, MIS, DGHS

December 3 at Chittagong

Name Designation

Mr. Ashraful Islam Joint Secretary, Administration

December 4 at Chittagong Medical College Hospital

Name Designation

Brigadier General Md. Jahangir Hossain

Malik

Director (Hospital)

Dr. Saroj Barua Assistant Director (Administration)

Mr. Anwar Hossain Accountant

December 5 at Divisional Medical Storage Depot (MSD), Chittagong

Name Designation

Dr. Kazi Shafiqul Alam Assistant Director (Admin), Chittagong

Division

Dr. A.K.M. Zafarullah Manager Warehouse, MSD, Chittagong

Mr. Mahbubur Rahman Supernatant (Store), MSD, Chittagong

December 5 at Civil Surgeon Office, Chittagong

Name Designation

Dr. Md. Abu Tayeb Civil Surgeon, Chittagong

Dr. Ahsanul Haque Medical Officer (CS)

Mr. Mihir Accountant

December 5 at General Hospital, Chittagong

Name Designation

Dr. Nurul Islam Residential Medical Officer (Admin)

Mr. Mohsin Pharmacist (Store in-charge)


26

List of officials met during LMI field visits

December 7 at DGHS

Name Designation

Dr. Md Mumtaz Uddin Bhuiyan Line Director Hospital Services

Dr. A. K. M. Saidur Rahman Deputy Program Manager, Hospital Services

December 9 at General Hospital, Tangail

Name Designation

Dr. Md. Abdul Basit Civil Surgeon, Tangail

Dr. Robiul Alam Residential Medical Officer, Tangail

Mr. Abdul Jalil Storekeeper

December 9 at District Reserve Store (DRS), Tangail

Name Designation

Dr. Tanveer Ahmed Medical Officer (DRS)

Mr. Abdul Hamid Storekeeper (DRS)

December 9 at Upazila Health Complex, Mirzapur

Name Designation

Dr. Babul Akhter Residential Medical Officer

Mr. Asad Uzzaman Storekeeper

December 11 at Dhaka Medical College Hospital

Name Designation

Brigadier General Shahidul Haque Mallik Director

December 11 at National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease

Name Designation

Prof. Abul Hussain Khan Chowdhury Professor and Director

December 12 at Civil Surgeons Office at Narsingdi

Name Designation

Dr. Abdur Rashid Civil Surgeon

Mr. Abdur Rahim Molla Head Assistant

December 12 at Upazila Health Complex, Palash

Name Designation

Dr. Abdul Alim Khan Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer

Dr. Kazi Shamim Hossain Residential Medical Officer

December 12 at Ghurashal Health and Family Welfare Centre

Name Designation

Md. Mosharraf Hossain Medical Assistant

Md. Shamsuzzaman Pharmacist

Annex 2. Locations Visited and Staff Contacted

27

List of Officials met During LMI Field Visits

December 13 at World Bank

Name Designation

Dr. Bushra Binte Alam Senior Health Specialist

Mr. Marghoob B Hussein Procurement Specialists

December 14 at MoHFW

Name Designation

Ms. Aktari Mamtaz Joint Secretary

Mr. Md. Amin Ul Ahsan Senior Assistant Secretary

December 15 at DG Health EPI

Name Designation

Mr. Md. Helal Uddin Tarafder EPI Central Stores, DGHS

December 18 at Sk. Abu Naser Hospital, Khulna

Name Designation

Dr. Moni Mohan Shaha Director (In-charge)

Dr. Sk. Md. Monwar Ahsan Secretary, Hospital

Dr. Amirul Khasru Assistant Professor, Cardiology

December 20 at MSH Dhaka

Name Designation

Dr. Marcos Arevalo Senior Family Planning Advisor, USAID

December 20 at Essential Drugs

Company Limited Dhaka

Name Designation

Chief Executive Officer & Staff Chief Executive Officer


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